The Startup Social Media Checklist

Not being on Social Media is the new Original Sin in marketing. From legacy brands to the local grocery vendor, everybody needs to have their own little virtual microphone. But if you’re a startup (including the local grocery store), how do you truly assure the efficient usage of an infinitely big virtual central park where everybody has a microphone and foghorns are also for sale?

When your startup does begin its Social Media Marketing, make sure your strategy takes these caveats into account:

Have a content resource ready:
Your brand may already have a rich repository of content or the ability to create one and you may not even know it or you may not have it documented. Testimonials, brand stories, manifestos, blogs, pictures, manuals, and everything that can help build a brand publicly, should be used to build a brand publicly.

Synergise the content strategy with your overall Marketing plan:
Create your content and your content calendar in such a way that it helps support your marketing plan which could include offline activities, direct marketing tactics or PR. This will not just help make your Marketing be more holistic but will also help you identify what your specific objective for Social Media is.

Choose your platforms wisely:
One big mistake that companies, and not just startups do, is go all out, all over. Each Social Media platform serves a different purpose. Take Instagram for instance – it is only correct to use this platform if your Brand is very visual, besides, the demographic on offer for Instagram may not align with your brand’s ideal target audience. Ultimately, you’re going to have to do your homework and decide which platforms work best for you and why it does so.

Commit!:If you’re going to start, you’re going to have to stay. Consistency and regularity are the biggest virtues you can apply on Social Media. In fact it’s better not to have Social Media at all than post every 6 days. But at the same time, excessive posting can be inefficient and annoying. When you begin churning out content, start identifying the potential longevity of each post, create your schedule accordingly and then stick to it.

Also be ready to spend:Social Media is not inherently a sales tool; it is a community creator as it was intended to be. Use your content to present a value proposition to your client and use ads to lead them to your actual sales proposition. But to present them these, be ready to spend and spend judiciously. While the preferred route will always be organic, intelligent boosting can help scout out and create sustainable communities of advocates for your brand.